Vaccines are among the greatest advances of modern medicine. They have contributed to better health and well-being, led to substantial savings on treatment costs, and promoted more productive societies. UNICEF has been working hand-in-hand with the Philippine Government since 1946 to ensure that every child is protected from life-threatening and vaccine-preventable diseases.  UNICEF has helped eliminate Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus and end two polio outbreaks in the country.  Here is a look back at some highlights of UNICEF’s work in the Philippines to help reach every child in the country with safe, effective and life-saving vaccines.  1940s-1950s When it opened its doors in 1948, UNICEF’s first  health programmes focused on tuberculosis and reducing infant and child mortality and morbidity.  In the 1950s, UNICEF carried out anti-malaria campaigns and immunization drives against contagious diseases such as tuberculosis, yaws (a chronic infection that affects mainly the skin, bone and cartilage) and other childhood diseases. By the end of the 1950s, the anti-yaws campaign covered all affected areas in the Philippines. 1970s UNICEF assisted the Philippine Government in launching an immunization programme against diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, tuberculosis, and polio, with a focus on children living in slums.   1990s The Philippines began buying its own vaccines through the vaccine independence initiative, which enabled the country to get vaccine supplies under flexible payment terms. UNICEF supported this initiative through bridging payment intervals. 2000s: Three decades after the national vaccination programme started, polio was declared eradicated in the Philippines. Immunization drives continued to reach remote villages.  In 2007, UNICEF launched the Days of Peace campaign in Mindanao following the signing of a Joint Communiqué between UNICEF and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. The ceasefire enabled health workers to reach children in conflict-affected areas with essential and life-saving health services, many of which were suspended because of the armed conflict. 2010s In the wake of destruction caused by Super Typhoon Haiyan, UNICEF and World Health Organization (WHO) supported the Government-led emergency and relief operations in vaccinating 33,000 children under the age of 5 in the typhoon-affected city of Tacloban to give protection against measles and polio.  In 2017, the Philippines eliminated maternal and neonatal tetanus with support from UNICEF and WHO. After being polio-free for nearly two decades (1992), the Philippines declared a polio outbreak in 2019. UNICEF and WHO supported the Philippine Government to increase immunization coverage via outbreak response immunization and supplementary immunization activities to stop polio transmission in the country. 2020 Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, UNICEF continued to support the Department of Health to ensure the continuity of its routine immunization programme and supplementary immunization activities for polio and measles. UNICEF also assisted the Philippine Government in its application to the COVAX Facility to help the Philippines access fair and equitable COVID-19 vaccines.  The 2019 polio outbreak came to an end in 2021, thanks to comprehensive outbreak response actions facilitated by UNICEF in collaboration with WHO and the Department of Health. The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) launched the Measles Outbreak Response Immunization (MORI) in early 2024, vaccinating around 1.2 million children, and successfully stopped the disease from spreading. Digital health technologies have contributed to a more efficient delivery of health services. In 2025, UNICEF, with funding support from the Government of Japan, handed over DigiVacc, a digital immunization suite designed to strengthen the coverage of fully-immunized children in the Philippines, to the Department of Health. Challenges remain, and we must stay vigilant in preparing and responding to outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases. In a world facing increasing instability and inequality, UNICEF continues its unwavering commitment to support the Government, and partners reach every child in the Philippines with life-saving vaccines - just as it has for decades - so that they grow up healthy, happy and empowered to leave productive lives.  

    For generations, the indigenous peoples (IPs) of the Philippines have woven their lives into the fabric of their ancestral lands. For them, these lands are more than a place to live: They are the heart of their identity, the source of their traditions, and the foundation of a sustainable existence. Years of research have shown that indigenous communities are the best protectors of the forests they call home. Yet, for many, this connection was threatened by a lack of formal recognition of custodianship: this puts their livelihoods, culture and very futures at risk. Without secure rights to the lands they stewarded for centuries, a legacy of environmental harmony and cultural knowledge could disappear. However, many indigenous communities have been turning the tide with support from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). Built on respect and empowerment, IFAD’s partnership with indigenous peoples enables IPs to lead their own development and transform their ancestral domains – a term that refers to their land rights in national law – into pillars of strength and opportunity: 400,000 IPs have benefitted from such initiatives over the last three decades. The Philippine Action Plan for Family Farming 2019-2028 acknowledges IFAD’s crucial role in supporting IPs, including on land-related protection. Securing the Foundation: From Stewardship to Legal Rights The journey begins with the land itself. Recognizing that true empowerment starts with secure land tenure, IFAD has made strengthening ancestral land rights a cornerstone of its work since 1997.  In the highlands Cordillera Administrative Region, for instance, the Cordillera Highland Agricultural Resource Management Projects (CHARM I & II) helped Indigenous communities secure legal recognition of their ancestral lands. Reaching 170 barangays—99 per cent of which were Indigenous— CHARM II pioneered an approach where communities pledged customary stewardship of vital watersheds. This approach, rooted in indigenous knowledge systems and practices, bridged traditional governance with environmental protection and provided over 220,000 IPs with a continued livelihood. Similarly, in Mindanao, the Western Mindanao Community Initiatives Project (WMCIP) and the Northern Mindanao Community Initiatives and Resource Management Project (NMCIREMP) were instrumental in supporting indigenous groups to turn ancestral land claims into official titles.  Datu Balitungtung, a Higaunon tribal leader who participated in the project, said: “I have been working for 20 years for IP governance. But I have never [before] found what IP governance should look like...; it’s simple but with concrete steps... that coalesce the Indigenous Peoples’ structures and institutions.”  Through these projects, communities got the tools they needed to protect their land and plan their development in culturally sensitive ways. Cultivating Opportunity: From Rights to Resilient Livelihoods Securing land rights is only the beginning to unlocking opportunities and building sustainable livelihoods. The CHARM projects introduced sustainable agriculture and natural resource management techniques based on indigenous knowledge systems and practices, while the other projects supported a range of initiatives led by locals, from building marine sanctuaries to rehabilitating mangroves and farming upland, all tailored to fit their specific context and culture. To ensure the economic benefits reached those who needed them most, various projects launched funding facilities dedicated to the poorest households, with a focus on indigenous peoples, including women-led families. These funds have supported micro-enterprises and community groups, proving that even modest investments can spark significant change when communities are in the driver's seat. For example, the Paddaoan Livestock and Livelihood Association, in Apayao Province took advantage of a small CHARM loan – around US$ 2000 –to purchase a new variety of piglets that were distributed to the 21 members of the group. They also received training in organic swine production, bookkeeping and business management. Households had typically raised just one pig of the native variety at a time, keeping it tied to a tree trunk until it was butchered and the meat distributed to relatives. They now raise an average of two pigs – one for fattening, one for sow raising. Both are profitable: a grown pig will sell for over US$ 250 and typically each sow will give a minimum of two litters of 5-10 piglets a year, which sell for a total of US$ 400-800.  Dionisio Talang, one of the members, said: “People are more involved now that they actually know how to raise livestock and take care of it instead of just leaving their animals tied to a tree. This project has taught us how to do business and it has raised our standard of living.” Using the extra income, the association was able to pay back the initial loan.   IFAD’s Indigenous Peoples Assistance Facility (IPAF) has directly empowered communities to design and implement their own initiatives. It has funded grassroots projects focused on food security, environmental sustainability and cultural resilience, ensuring that livelihoods are not only economically viable but also culturally affirming.  Average poverty incidence between 2017 and 2022 declined by 14.5 per cent in areas that received IFAD support. Honoring the Past, Shaping the Future: A Legacy for All Times The partnership strengthens indigenous heritage while empowering communities to shape their own future, highlighted Ilaria Firmian, Senior Technical Specialist at IFAD. “By championing indigenous leadership, recognizing customary laws and integrating traditional knowledge into climate actions and food systems, IFAD’s approach reinforces identity and self-determination,” she said. Platforms like the Indigenous Peoples’ Forum and the Agriculture and Rural Development Knowledge and Policy Platform, along with annual national consultations, have become vital spaces for dialogue. They have highlighted the importance of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) – a human right that requires that indigenous peoples receive accessible information and be consulted about and consent to any activities undertaken on their land – and showcased the critical role that Indigenous youth and women play in building inclusive and resilient food systems. “This journey—from securing land to building livelihoods and preserving a legacy—offers a powerful model for inclusive rural transformation,” Firmian said. “It demonstrates that when indigenous peoples are empowered to lead their own development, they can build sustainable futures rooted in their rights, knowledge, and traditions.”  As the United Nations marks its 80th anniversary in the Philippines, the work of IFAD and its indigenous partners stands as a powerful example of what can be achieved when development is built on a foundation of respect and empowerment.   

MANILA. Multilateralism and international cooperation are more critical than ever in addressing online and transborder crime in an increasingly digitalizing world, said Philippine government experts at an event organized by the United Nations to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC).Organized by the United Nations Office on Drugs Crime (UNODC), in partnership with the Ateneo de Manila University School of Law, and with support of the United Kingdom, the event convened over 130 delegates representing the Philippine government, diplomatic community, legal profession, and the youth for a dialogue on the continued relevance of UNTOC 25 years on.With the theme “Follow the Money,” the forum’s discussions focused on the work being done by state authorities to track down the international money flows that sustain criminal activities, such as trafficking in persons, money laundering, corruption, which have been evolving with the rapid development of technology and increased virtual connectivity.“The task of following the money has become more complex,” said Undersecretary Anthony Alcantara, Executive Director of the Philippine Center on Transnational Crime. “Because money trails no longer stop at our borders, no single nation can uncover them alone. International cooperation is not optional. Every case today requires shared intelligence, shared technology, and our shared resolve.”Executive Secretary Lucas P. Bersamin shared the Philippines’ commitment to addressing transnational organized crime, highlighting the government’s efforts to stop the illicit activities of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs). 
“The [Marcos] administration has taken bold and decisive action to defeat or eliminate the scourge of online criminality. The massive crackdown against illegal POGO hubs and scam syndicates has set a strong message that the Philippines will refuse to be a haven for criminal enterprises,” said Mr. Bersamin.In a report released earlier this year, UNODC identified the proliferation of scam centers in Southeast Asia as one of the most significant developments in the region’s criminal ecosystem. The syndicates that run these hubs control interconnected networks that facilitate money laundering, trafficking in persons, and cyber-enabled fraud.“The world has changed since 2000,” said UNODC Program Office in the Philippines’ Country Manager Daniele Marchesi. “The challenges here in Southeast Asia are particularly alarming, but there are lessons we have learned since the UNTOC took effect 25 years ago. “We need political commitment, international cooperation, and stronger capacities on financial investigation. We also need to focus on prevention, by including youth.” To keep up with the changing landscape of transnational organized crime, world leaders from 72 countries convened last month in Hanoi, Viet Nam to sign the United Nations Convention Against Cybercrime, the first comprehensive global treaty dedicated to combating crimes committed through information and communications technology systems, including online fraud, child exploitation, and illicit data trafficking.“This success of multilateralism is proof that the spirit of Palermo [where the UNTOC was signed in 2000] is alive even in the digital age,” said Mr. Marchesi.In addition to messages from the Philippine government, the event to commemorate the UNTOC’s 25th anniversary also featured a panel discussion on international cooperation with a panel composed of the Ambassadors of Italy, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and South Africa to the Philippines, a presentation on why the UNTOC matters to young generations by Mathew Joseph, former Deputy Senior State Counsel of the Attorney-General’s Chambers Singapore and Delegation Leader of Singapore to the UNTOC Negotiation Session in Vienna, and a panel discussion on youth, education, and whole-of-society approaches to disrupting transnational organized crime.

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